Bake oven conveyer



' Feb., 1G, i942. R, P BQLLlNG 2,272,291

BAKE OVEN GONVEYER 'lllllmllluumw IIHIIIIIIIIIIII v I fob@ rz Png/c?ATTORNEYS Feb. 10, 1942. R. P. BOLLING BAKE OVEN CONVEYER Filed June 9,1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. obe/*Z W. oZZi/Yy ATTQRNEY5 Feb. 10, 42.R. P. BOLLING BAKE OVEN CONVEYER Filed June 9, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR. Woberlf` W. o/Zz'ny 1me@ M Feb. 10, 1942. R. P. .BoLLlNG BAKEOVEN CONVEYER Filed June 9, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Feb. 10, 1942UNITED sTATEs PATENTy OFFICE Application June 9, 1939, seria1N0.2vs,24s

10 Claims.

This invention relates to a bake oven conveyer, and more particularlytoa bake oven conveyer of the so-called reel type. The invention isdirected to an improved arrangement in a reel oven for defining the pathof movementof the shelves for containing the goods and which serves tostabilize the shelves in a novel manner. By following the invention thereel structure may be lightened in weight and strength because the reeldoes not carry so much weight, while at the same time more shelves andmore baked goods can be disposed in an oven of given dimensions.

Still further, it is an object of the invention to provide a reel typeof oven wherein the goods being baked are so located and have a path ofmovement such that better baking .conditions are obtained, particularlywith respect to the baking condition at the bottom or lower portion ofthe oven, and with respect to conditions at the top or upper portion ofthe oven. Due also to the fact that the reel does not carry so muchweight it may be operated with less power, and in this same connectionthe structure is cheaper to build than those of the reel type which havebeen heretofore proposed. These and other objects of the invention, andthe results obtained thereby, will be appreciated more fully as thedetailed description progresses.

Fig. 1 is a View showing part of the front of an oven and with part ofthe oven cut away to show interior structure.

Fig. 2 is a view showing some parts in section and taken substantiallyon line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view taken substantially on line 3-3 ofFig. 2 showing the guiding and supporting arrangement for the shelves atthe top of the oven.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional View taken substantially on line4-4 of Fig. 2 showing the guiding and supporting arrangement at thebottom of the oven.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a shelf assembly.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 illustrating a modified form of theinvention.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 'I-T of Fig. 6.

The oven may comprise suitable walls as illustrated, the oven beinggenerally depicted at I having side walls 2 and 3. One of the walls,

which may be termed the front, has a door 4 for the loading andunloading of the oven. No particular attempt is made herein to show justhow the oven is heated, as it may be heated in a variety of ways and bya variety of fuels. In Figs. 1

and 2, however, gas burners 5 are illustrated in the lower portion ofthe oven which may be fed from a manifold 6. In Fig. 6 showing amodified form, a gas burner is also shown, and this bears the samereference character.

Passing through the oven, or at least journaled in the walls, is acentral shaft I which may have a gear outside the oven, as shown at 8,by means of which it is driven. Mounted on this shaft are devices in thenatureA of a spider or reel, one adjacent each wall. As shown in Fig. 2the spider takes the form of a disc IIJ provided with a plurality ofarms which may be riveted or otherwise secured thereto as shown at II,each arm being of a bifurcated nature, having a tine I2 and a tine I3which denne a slot therebetween. These spiders are arranged to rotatewith the central shaft.

On opposite walls of the oven and interior of the oven are track orguide devices. There is an outer track or guide having a top portion I5,a bottom portion I6, a vertical portion I1 at the rear of the oven and avertical portion I8 at the front of the oven. Within the confines ofthis outer'track or guide is another track having an upper portion 20,alower portion 2l, a vertical portion 22 at the rear, and a verticalportion 23 at the front of the oven. The inner track or guide is spacedinwardly axially from the outer track as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, thisbeing accomplished by the use of spacer elements 25. Another rail 26 isdisposed at the lower portion of the track and, as shown in Fig. 4, itis also spaced away from the outer track portion I6 and lies in the sameplane as the inner track. These track devices are arranged to form aparallelogram which may be square, as illustrated in Fig. 2, or may beotherwise formed, as will later appear.

A shelf assembly is illustrated in Fig. 5 wherein the shelf proper 21 ismounted upon a cross rod 28 which is provided with grooved rollers 29,and groovedV rollers 30, and has on its ends rectangular blocks or shoes3| non-rotatably secured thereto. The shoes 3| at opposite ends of eachshaft have surfaces which function on the outer track constituted by theelements I5, I6, I1 and I8. The rollers 29 t in the bifurcated arms, asshown in Figs. 3 and 4, while the rollers 30 function upon the innertrack members 2D, 2I, 22 and 23, and also upon the additional lower railmember 26, as shown in Fig. 4.

VThe outer track preferably has a removable section adjacent the'loadingdoor 4, this section :being shown at 33 so that by removing this sectionan entire shelf assembly, such as is shown in Fig. 5, may be removed orinstalled. Guide devices of an auxiliary nature are illustrated in theupper portion of the oven as shown at 35 and 36 for frictionallyengaging the shelves at this point in their circuitous path forassisting in their stabilization.

The operation of this structure is substantially as follows: The goodsto be baked may be loaded into the oven through the door 4 and on to theadjacent shelf while the reel is stationary. The reel may be stopped foreach shelf until it is completely loaded. As the reel rotates, theshelves with the bake goods thereon are moved in a polygonal circuitouspath. Starting, say, at the top of Fig. 2 and, assuming that the reel isrotating counter-clockwise, an arm moves over from the 12 oclockposition to the 1l oclock position and the shelf travels with the arm,with the weight being supported by the track portion 20 through therollers 30. At this time the shelf and rollers 29 shift outwardlyrelative to the center of rotation. When the corner is reached, asindicated by the dotted lines, the horizontal movement of the shelf isarrested, and then the shelf begins its downward movement, at which timethe load, or at least a component of the load, is supported by the reel,the other component being resisted by the rollers 3D functioning againstthe rail 23. As the shelf passes a horizontal position, the shelf maytend to shift outwardly, but this is resisted by reason of the shoe 3|slidably engaging the track portion I8. When the shelf reaches the lowerlefthand corner, its vertical movement is arrested and then the movementis horizontal from left to right, at which time the Weight is supportedon the track portion 26 (Fig. 4) through the roller 30. At this time thetrack portion 2| prevents upward movement of the shelf for any reason.For example, when the shelf approaches the 5 oclock position, as shown,the force shifting it has an upward component, due to the angularity ofthe arms of the spider. As the shelf reaches the lower right-handcorner, its horizontal movement is arrested and it moves upward in amanner just opposite its downward movement at the front side of theoven. Of course, the reel may rotate in either direction. The shoeswhich function upon the outer track members serve to stabilize theshelves and prevent them from rotating or oscillating. The auxiliarystabilizing elements 35 and 36 are a1- ranged to engage individualshelves as they traverse the upper corners to provide for additionalstabilization at these points. There is a frictional engagement whichplaces a torque on the shelf and causes the shoe to snugly engage theguide.

It will be noted that the reel or spider structure supports only some ofthe shelves. For instance, as shown in Fig. 2, the shelves at the topand bottom are supported by the tracks, and only those having verticalmovement are supported by the reel. Therefore, the reel need not beconstructed to carry the entire weight.

Another point of importance is that more shelves may be disposed in agiven sized oven than can be used with the old type of reel whichcarried the shelves in a circular path. In this connection consider Fig.2: The shelf at the top, or at the 12 oclock position, in the ordinaryreel would move to the 9 oclock position on a radius around the center,and when the shelves rock in this manner considerable clearance isneeded to clear the top of the bake goods thereon from the shelf movingin above the same. With this arrangement, however, the shelves movelaterally and then straight downwardly so that adequate clearance isprovided.

The baking conditions are better in that the bake goods are in the upperzone of the oven for a longer period of time. The steam which exists inthe upper part of the furnace, usually live steam being introduced, hasaccess to the surface of the goods all the while the goods aretraversing the top of the oven; whereas, with the circular form the bakegoods is only in the uppermost position at one point. Also, the bakingconditions at the bottom are better since the bake goods at their bottomare close to the source of heat all the while the goods are movingtransversely across the bottom of the oven. The space within the oven isbetter utilized than is the case where an oven is square on the insideand connes shelves which move circularly.

This structure lends itself also to an arrangement where the polygonalshape of the track may be otherwise than square. This permits ofconstructing an oven which must be so designed as to go into a spacewhere the vertical limits are close or where the horizontal dimensionsare limited. The track in this case may be of rectangular form and, asshown in the modied form in Fig. 6, the oven is flattened or shortenedin its vertical dimensions. In this form the same reference charactersare applied to corresponding parts, and thus a duplication ofdescription is avoided. The oven shown herein may be used where there isnot adequate vertical space. Where the lateral space is limited thetrackage may be arranged to be elongated vertically. In this case,however, provision may, in some instances, have to be made foraccommodating the arms of the spiders. As shown in Fig. 6, the top wallof the oven has been lowered as shown at Ia, and a small narrowextension of the housing 40 is formed on top of the housing toaccommodate the upper swing of the spider. In some instances thisarrangement may also be employed at the bottom of the oven, or bothbottom and top. While the structure of the modied form is substantiallythe same as to parts, the function varies in that there is a greatermovement in and out radially of the shelves relative to the center ofrotation. As indicated in Fig. 6, those shelves at the top and bottom ofthe oven are relatively close to the center, while those at the sidesare relatively removed from the center. The depth of the slot betweenthe arms I2 and I3 of the spider structure may be varied to accommodatesuch movement.

I claim:

l. A bake oven comprising opposite walls, track means on the oppositewalls of substantially complete polygonal shape, shelves extendingacross the oven, rotary means having an axis within the track means andhaving a slidable connection with each of the shelves for moving theshelves circuitously on the track means.

2. A bake oven comprising opposite walls, track means on the oppositewalls of substantially complete polygonal shape, shelves extendingacross the oven, rotary means having an axis within the track means andhaving a connection with each of the shelves for moving the shelvescircuitously on the track means, said connections being constructed andarranged to afford relative movement between the shelves and the rotarymeans.

3. A bake oven comprising Walls delning a baking compartment ofpolygonal shape in cross section, track means on opposite walls ofsubstantially complete polygonal shape which runs substantiallyparalleling the walls of the compartment, a reel structure with radialarms rotatably mounted in the compartment on an axis disposed within thetrack means, shelves extending across the compartment and carried by thetrack means, and movable connections between each shelf and the arms ofthe reel whereby the reel, in revolving, moves the shelves circuitouslyon the track means.

4. A bake oven comprising a compartment having opposite walls, saidcompartment being substantially square in cross section, a track onopposite walls substantially square in formation, shelves extendingacross the compartment having end portions guided by the track,a reelstructure with radial arms rotatably mounted in the compartment on anaxis within the confines of the track means, the arms of the reelstructure and shelves being operably interconnected for movement of theshelves circuitously on the track means upon rotation of the reelstructure and for movement of the shelves radially inwardly andoutwardly relative to the axis of the reel structure as the shelvesfollow the formation of the track.

5. A bake oven comprising a compartment having a door in one wall, areel structure rotatably mounted Within the compartment on an axisextending in the same direction as said one wall. track means ofsubstantially complete polygonal shape on the opposite walls intersectedby the axis, shelves extending across the compartment and having endsguided by said track means, said shelves and reel structure beinginterconnected for movement of the shelves circuitously on the trackmeans upon rotation of the reel structure, and a removable section ofthe track means adjacent said door for affording removal or replacementof the shelf.

6. A bake oven comprising opposite walls, track means on the oppositewalls having inner and outer track members, said track means being ofpolygonal shape, a reel structure rotatably mounted between the oppositewalls and on an axis disposed within the connes of the` track means, aplurality of shelves extending across the oven and each having a shoeengaging the track means and shaped to non-rotatably engage the trackmeans for stabilizing the shelves, and a slidable connection between thereel structure and each shelf for movement of the shelves along thetrack upon rotation of the reel structure.

7. A bake oven comprising opposite walls, track means on the oppositewalls having inner and outer track members, said track means being ofpolygonal shape, a reel structure rotatably mounted between the oppositewalls -and on an axis disposed within the connes of the track means, aplurality of shelves extending across the oyen and each having a shoeengaging the track means and shaped to non-rotatably engage the trackmeans for stabilizing the shelves, a slidable connection between thereel structure and each shelf for movement of the shelves along thetrack upon rotation of the reel structure, and auxiliary stabilizingmeans at some of the corners of the track means for engaging andstabilizing the shelves as they pass said corners.

8. A bake oven comprising opposite walls, track means on opposite wallsof polygonal shape, and each having inner and outer track members,shelves extending across the oven and each having a shoe engaging thetrack means for stabiliz- 'ing the shelves, a roller at the end of eachshelf for engaging the track means and for supporting the weight of theshelves, a reel structure rotatably mounted in the oven and havingradially extending arms of bifurcated formation moving the shelves alongthe track means.

9. A bake oven comprising opposite walls, track means on opposite wallsof polygonal shape, and each having inner and outer track members, shelfmeans extending across the oven and each having a shoe engaging thetrack means for stabilizing the shelf means, a roller at the end of eachshelf means for engaging the track means and for supporting the weightof the shelf means, a reel structure rotatably mounted in the oven andhaving radially extending arms of bifurcated formation embracing theshelf means and a roller near each end of each shelf means and disposedbetween the bifurcation of the arm.

l0. A bake oven comprising opposite walls, a track on each Wall, saidtrack having an upper portion extending across the top of the oven, alower portion extending across the bottom of the oven and verticalportions connecting the upper and lower portions, shelves extendingacross the oven and having end parts mounted on the tracks, a reelstructure independent of the tracks rotatably mounted on an axis withinthe tracks and having radially extending parts operably and movablyconnected to the shelves, whereby rotation of the reel structure movesthe vshelves circuitously on the tracks, the upper and lower portions ofthe tracks having parts for supporting the Weight of the shelves.

ROBERT P. ROLLING.

